After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

"Teleportation is really great..."

............

The twentieth minute of the battle.

The fighting on the front lines is raging, with both the demons and the Allied Nations continuously adding more troops to the ruins of the city where the third front is located.

From time to time, demons would try to leave this floating continent and directly attack the continent of Elusia below—but these demon larvae had not evolved the ability to fly. Facing the ground hundreds of meters high, jumping down would only be suicide. Because of this, they had no choice but to find another way.

They began attempting to move stealthily by wedging themselves into the outer shell of the floating continent. They quickly reached the opening of the artificial magic reactor used to draw seawater.

The mobile magical dolls guarding the area easily dispatched the demons that had crawled in, demonstrating the demons' improved tactics. The magical dolls remaining at the artificial magic reactor needed Elena's support, but Elena was caught in a dilemma.

On one hand, she knew that the artificial magic reactor was something that had to be protected. If the restarting artificial magic reactor wasn't protected, the war would end in defeat.

On the other hand, Yang Hao is also someone she needs to protect at this stage—Elena can distinguish between what is important and what is not, but if possible, she hopes to protect both of them together.

Left with no other choice, after receiving the news, Elena could only offer Yang Hao some advice:

"Inquiry: Your Majesty Yang Hao, the outside world is dangerous. I need to return to the artificial magic reactor to stop the demon's sneak attack. Would you be willing to come back with me to avoid any mishaps outside?"

The synthetic doll's straightforward inquiry caught Yang Hao off guard.

However, after a moment's thought, Yang Hao realized his own unique situation—he was arguably the person on the entire floating continent who needed the most protection. He had no actual combat ability, couldn't use magic, and didn't know how to save his life.

In this situation, even with Naruja and Finn protecting him, remaining exposed outside was still far too dangerous. Not to mention, if Elena hadn't noticed the [Optical Camouflage] property evolved by the high-ranking demon, he might have already been attacked and even seriously injured by the demon...

Moreover... has the attack on the artificial magic reactor reached the point where Elena needs to personally go and guard it?

After much deliberation, Yang Hao concluded that he couldn't cause Elena any trouble or make things difficult. So he nodded, signaling Finn to prepare for the teleportation, and then replied:

“Alright, we can use the Eagle Knight’s eyes to observe with magic anyway... Let’s go back together, since the artificial magic reactor is more important.”

“Thank you for your understanding.” Elena breathed a sigh of relief. “Then please return immediately. There are only ten minutes left; the moment of counterattack is approaching.”

"Now I'm starting to doubt whether the demons will evolve weapons to fight the Colossus... but never mind. We have to rely on you Colossi now."

With Finn's help, everyone used teleportation magic to return to the underground area where the artificial magic reactor was located.

Just as they returned, the remaining magical puppets killed the demon larvae at the seawater intake and nailed their bodies directly to the wall to prevent the larvae from reviving.

Yang Hao quickly counted the corpses—there were about forty. Although most of them looked like the corpses of ordinary demon larvae, there were bound to be some high-level demons who had evolved optical camouflage trying to sneak in.

The demons seemed to know that the seawater pipes drawing water from the artificial magic reactor were the reactor's greatest weakness. But the Edenians had reinforced the pipes even more than the reactor itself, so the demons' only target was indeed the reactor, which was constantly undergoing its reaction.

Yang Hao patted the transparent glass of the artificial magic reactor, observing the dense magic visible to the naked eye inside. Fen, standing beside him, also looked on curiously, while Naruja frowned and said that this artificial magic felt very similar to [magic residue].

"It's...strange. They seem...unable to...use it directly for the time being?" The clan chief cautiously stated his opinion, glancing back at Elena, who was assisting the magical dolls in reinforcing the breach defenses. "It might need to be refined or diluted before it can be used properly...otherwise, this concentration of artificial magic...if a normal person were to absorb it, they could easily die from magic imbalance..."

The artificial magic of the Kingdom of Eden—at least the newly produced artificial magic—cannot be used directly.

Even the Ling people, who can utilize even magical remnants, subconsciously fear the dense artificial magic in the reactor, let alone an elf like Fen who is affinity-for-magic, and an ordinary human like Yang Hao who has absolutely no magical talent.

Because of this, Yang Hao realized a problem: the artificial magic reactor had actually produced enough artificial magic, but simply producing magic wasn't enough. After all, no one here could withstand the feedback from the surging magic. In other words, was the core of this reactor actually the process of diluting and then differentiating magic?

He watched with great interest as the artificial magic within the transparent glass flowed through pipe after pipe into other chambers, where it was diluted. He wondered if this reactor could produce anything else besides artificial magic.

Yang Hao discovered that when artificial magic was generated, a large amount of electricity produced simultaneously seemed to be wasted—the arc lightning that flashed wildly among the artificial magic clouds disappeared without a trace as the artificial magic was diluted.

If there were a way to harness that lightning, that would be ideal—after all, electricity is extremely valuable, and combining it with man-made magic could create a synergy greater than the sum of its parts...

Just as Yang Hao was deep in thought, a crisp creaking sound came from the gap...

Before Yang Hao could prepare, the demon larvae that crawled in through the gap were immediately nailed to the wall by the magical puppets. But there were far more demon larvae, and in no time they occupied the entire rock wall.

They crawled in one after another, layer upon layer, using their specially evolved hook-like six legs to traverse the ceiling and walls.

Naruja immediately used materials found on the rock wall to create two golems, while Elena's actions were faster than anyone had imagined.

She pulled out a magical bayonet from the arm of a magical doll, gripped it in her hand, and charged into the horde of demon larvae, wreaking havoc.

With precise leaps and swings, each of Elena's attacks caused several demonic larvae to die horribly from vital injuries. The demons' purple blood gushed out, staining Elena purple and further agitating the demonic larvae behind her.

Elena withdrew from the corpse of the demon larva, and the magical puppets filled her gap, fighting the larva. She was searching for another suitable entry point. Just then, Naruja's golem charged in.

Under Naruja's precise control, Golem nimbly bypassed the group of magical puppets, knocking away all the demon larvae that had entered the underground space while simultaneously wielding his fists and fighting the larvae.

While golems may not be able to fight against high-ranking demons in open terrain, in narrow terrain, and when facing no more than ten demon larvae at a time, demon larvae are no match for golems—at least until they evolve the corresponding advanced organs.

However, demons always evolve faster than expected.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, one of the juveniles at the rear of the group howled and began to evolve. Its six legs gradually merged into two pairs of limbs resembling drills. Its surface began to feel as soft as chewing gum, but this supple form unexpectedly provided protection against blunt force impacts from iron fists.

Before it could fully evolve, the elf beside Yang Hao defeated it with a single spell.

"What an unpleasant rate of evolution... Even the most adept at changing faces among humans probably couldn't change this fast." Fin cursed with disgust, and after using magic to kill several more demon larvae that were also evolving towards [Blunt Weapon Blocking], she shouted at Elena, "Synthetic Doll Girl! Can't you find a way to plug the gap?!"

If the breach isn't plugged, the waves of demonic larvae will keep pouring in—Fen believes everyone is aware of this problem, so why not plug the outside?!

"Denial. Explanation: This is not permissible. Because these larvae appear to be deliberately attacking the breach under the orders of the [Demon Nest]."

Elena refused, then wiped the purple blood from her face after killing a demon:

"If we block this passage, the mother hive will become aware of our actions—and it will most likely order the larvae to attack the exposed extraction pipes directly... To prevent damage to the artificial magic reactor's pipes, we need to deliberately create an opening to lure them in..."

"So it means closing the door to beat the dog?" Yang Hao reacted quickly. "And the demon's lair is intelligent and can even detect attack routes from the perspective of other demons?! This is truly... an incredible secret."

Once upon a time, the people of the United Nations, including the Bayern people, believed that demons were nothing more than a barbaric social creature.

Although they possess a sense of honor and shame and will protect their own kind, in the end, they are nothing more than foreign invaders who intend to plunder the world's resources, and their overall behavior is extremely barbaric, not even worthy of being called a "tribe"—this is the current perception of demons among most people.

But now, the Edenians are suddenly saying that the Demon's Nest is a highly intelligent entity possessing "intelligence"?! Moreover, the Nest not only possesses intelligence, but can even, while producing demon larvae, use the eyes of the frontline demons to identify gaps in the enemy's defenses and then command the attacking demons?!

"Are you demons not weapons designed by humans?!" Yang Hao was utterly astonished, but upon reflection, the tactics and strategies displayed by the demons of Eden were indeed far too unusual...

Whether it's the demon larvae that evolved into [gun barrels], the wheel demons that evolved into [tank] structures, or even the climbing demons that know how to flank and ambush, and the flying optical camouflage demons—the demons' evolution specifically targeting the weaknesses of the United Front's defense lines is real.

However, their evolution speed is incredibly fast, and their structure can even be described as "exceptionally accurate."

Not to mention that after completing their evolution, the demons, in less than two minutes, learned to utilize the characteristics of the newly born demons to develop and apply new tactics suitable for the current army...

It's no exaggeration to say that the demons at this stage are even more advanced in tactical learning than the robots Yang Hao knows on Earth—he's been puzzled by what exactly allows the tactical awareness of individual demons to spread throughout the entire group; he suspects it might be pheromones or something strange...

But now it seems that the core of everything is actually the guidance of the [Demon Mother Nest]?

(Thinking about it carefully, if all the changes, including demon evolution, are related to the demon hive, then it all makes sense... If the demon hive's thinking ability is proportional to that of the individual demon, and it can "borrow" the brains of its own kind for thinking and learning... then it's also plausible that they can evolve from a primitive form to a rudimentary era of guns and cannons or even tanks in less than half an hour...)

The man was deep in thought, his face covered in sweat.

(But wouldn't the Demon Mother's learning ability be far too powerful? And since it has the ability to observe the battlefield through the eyes of its own kind and make instant tactical adjustments, then isn't it the other way around...?)

Does the Demon Mother Nest also possess the ability to cast magic through the vision of individual demons? Or perhaps...

How do you observe and learn about things that interest you through the perspective of other members of your own group?

Yang Hao held his breath. He was terrified by his own thought, and even more so by what he saw at the opening: a grotesque demon lurking behind its kin, its six red eyes fixed intently on him...

...No.

It was looking at the man-made magic reactor beside him!

"Fen! Attack that six-eyed demon!" Yang Hao grabbed the elf's left hand, pointed to the gap in the distance, and shouted, "Take it down as fast as you can—! The demon's lair should be being observed through its eyes! Hurry!"

"What you're talking about... I've found it!"

The petite elf gasped in surprise. Upon discovering the fleeing entity Yang Hao had mentioned, she held her breath and used the magic at hand to summon vines that bound the six-eyed demon tightly.

After being controlled by the magical vines, the six-eyed demon was instantly killed by Elena. The magical puppets then coordinated with Golem's actions to further suppress the demon larva's intrusion, but Yang Hao knew very well that it might be too late.

The six-eyed demon had witnessed firsthand the entire process of the artificial magic reactor's reaction! Although the demon's lair might not be able to understand what was going on for the time being, it would definitely try to imitate the artificial magic reactor at this critical juncture, and finally, little by little, offset the effects so that the Kingdom of Eden could regain its magical advantage after the reactor was activated.

If the Demon Mother Nest really does possess extremely high learning capabilities and an incredibly powerful brain, as Yang Hao speculated... but that doesn't make sense, does it?

"If the Demon Mother Nest is truly so intelligent, why have they maintained their primitive ecology unchanged for thousands of years? No... or rather, are the demons that have remained unchanged for thousands of years the only ones in this world?"

Yang Hao, pale-faced, muttered something to himself. He suddenly realized that the impending demonic calamity would be far more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

After all, the demonic calamities of this world were either dragged underground by the Bayerzans into a deadly struggle where both sides would starve, or pulled into the sky by the Edenians and even went through a period of dormancy... They didn't have enough time and energy to learn and evolve, which is why they behaved so primitively!

But what about the demons elsewhere? Especially their lair, a place known as "Purgatory"?

What have those demons evolved into after more than a thousand years of development? How advanced has their biotechnology become? While we humans are still fighting each other over our own issues, what kind of monsters have these united demons turned into?

Yang Hao took a deep breath. The girls turned to look at him, and even Elena's eyes showed unease.

But he didn't explain anything. Because there wouldn't be much point in explaining now—besides, there wasn't enough time.

As the deafening roar of the artificial magic reactor beside them filled the air, the petite elf cast a barrier spell to shield Yang Hao and the others from the noise, and witnessed the artificial magic, after being diluted, begin to spread outwards.

The dormant magical puppets were groggily restarted, and the production workshop for the magical puppets began producing spare bodies and weapons for the Edenites at an even higher efficiency. Meanwhile, on the ground, all the soil and bricks emitted a faint blue light.

Thirty minutes after the restart, the artificial magic reactor officially entered the operational phase.

As originally commanded, it began to charge the Colossus Weapon—the obelisk structure atop the Great Library.

And in the demon's lair.

The demonic entity is devouring the magic that has suddenly become more abundant in the air.

Before the mother's cloaca, a large number of demonic larvae began an evolution that violated the natural ecosystem.

If the Edens were here, they would definitely recognize them.

That fabric, composed of countless demonic larvae, was a crude textile made from hundreds of man-made magic reactors.

The demons couldn't find the core components of the artificial magic reactor, nor the transparent glass, nor did they understand its internal structure—but they could learn, they could imitate countless models. While they wouldn't harm their own kind, they had plenty of their own kind.

The translucent fascia became "glass," and hundreds of different hollow structures formed within the fleshy structures fused together from the demonic larvae. The demons attempted to use anything other than seawater as a substitute for refining magic, and then tried to imitate the colossal weapons of the Edenians to build their own demonic colossi.

It's less about "construction" and more about "evolution"—the colossus weapon, evolved from the fusion of dozens of high-level demons, is simple and brutal. Now, all that's left before it's launched is probably the step of filling it with magic power.

The demons awaited the emergence of one successful replica of one of the countless reactors they had created.

And in the large library.

After defeating the demon's vanguard with the help of the magical puppet.

The soldiers of the United Nations, together with the Edenites, launched an attack on the Demon Mother's Nest.

The roles of offense and defense were reversed at this point.

Chapter Twelve: The Power of the Magic Network and the Final Battle – 4/5 8K

After the artificial magic reactor was fully restarted and began releasing diluted artificial magic into the surrounding area, the Kingdom of Eden could be said to have completely recovered from its state of despair and despondency.

They regained abundant artificial magic power, and their magic network was slowly but steadily repairing itself. More importantly, with the magic network restarting, the magical dolls finally had the capacity to produce extra doll bodies and then released their companions who were trapped in the magic network!